The present invention relates generally to a nut wrench called a drumbar and, more particularly, to a nut wrench used for removing and replacing nuts and bolts to remove and replace the brake drums in the wheels of trailers, trucks, buses and all other vehicles that utilize spoke wheels, including but not limited to Dayton Wheels(trademark) manufactured by the Dayton Wheel Products Company. Dayton Wheel Products Company is located at 115 Compark Road Dayton, Ohio 45459
The process of removing and replacing brake drums requires the mechanic to remove nuts and bolts from the wheel to remove and replace the brake drums. The mechanic holds the bolt located on the backside of the wheel to prevent the bolt from rotating while rotating the nut located on the frontside of the wheel on or off the bolt. One way to accomplish this task is to have the mechanic use extensions and bars to reach the bolts on the backside of the wheel while rotating the nuts on the frontside. This process requires the mechanic to straddle the wheel with his arms and to control two tools at one time, which can be very cumbersome and awkward, and requires a high degree of skill.
Alternatively, two mechanics can assist each other in the process of removing and replacing the brake drums. One mechanic positions himself/herself behind the wheel assembly of the vehicle to hold the bolts located on the backside of the wheel to prevent the bolts from rotating while the second mechanic removes or replaces the nuts on the bolts from the frontside of the wheel. This process requires two mechanics which is labor intensive and costly.
In a third method for removing and replacing the nuts and bolts that secure the brake drums to the wheel one mechanic reaches through the axle housing to hold the bolt located on the backside of the wheel to prevent the bolt from rotating while removing or replacing the nuts on the bolts from the frontside of the wheel. This process is labor intensive, costly and can only be performed with a mechanic that has an extremity, which is small enough to fit through the axle housing of the wheel.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
An aspect of the invention is to provide a drumbar apparatus and method for assisting mechanics in removing and replacing nuts and bolts from a wheel of trailers, trucks, buses and all other devices that utilize Dayton Wheels(trademark) or spoke wheels in such a manner that the necessary assembly and disassembly costs and labor times are reduced with improved assembly and disassembly techniques and excellent performance.
In one aspect of this invention there is provided a drumbar apparatus for allowing one mechanic to position himself/herself on the frontside of a wheel and wherein said mechanic extends said drumbar through the axle housing to hold a bolt with said drumbar on the backside of the wheel to prevent the bolt from rotating while the mechanic removes or replaces the nut of the frontside of the wheel.
In another aspect of this invention there is provided a method in which one mechanic positioned in front of a wheel extends a drumbar through the axle housing and holds the bolt of a wheel located on the backside of the wheel with the drumbar to prevent the bolt from rotating while removing or replacing the nut on the frontside of the wheel.
With respect to the two mechanic process previously described, this invention reduces the number of mechanics needed for removing or replacing the nuts and bolts on a wheel to remove and replace the brake drums, hence, the labor costs are substantially lowered as a result of the drumbar.
With respect to the one mechanic process previously described, the labor time and required skill level of the mechanic for removing and replacing the nuts and bolts to remove and replace the brake drums are reduced, hence, the labor costs are substantially lowered and the required skill level of the mechanic is reduced as a result of the drumbar.